Bomb threat evacuates Dam Square, Amsterdam

By Zack Newmark on June 25, 2014 - 16:29

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Update, 19:50, June 25: Police reopened much of the area surrounding De Bijenkorf after 6 p.m., according to a spokesman. Though an investigation is ongoing into the bomb threat, the search of the store and its adjacent parking garage is expected to be finish by about 8 p.m. Police in Amsterdam evacuated Dam Square and the Amsterdam branch of Dutch department store De Bijenkorf after a bomb threat was received, police said. No details of the threat have been publicly revealed, except to say that it specifically targeted the retailer.

The number of people who were inside the Bijenkorf at the time of the evacuation is not known. Streets surrounding the building have also been cleared and sealed off, including the Warmoesstraat and Damrak. "Bijenkorf and surrounding area are empty," the police said on one of their Twitter accounts. The wide area was cleared to keep curious onlookers away from the investigation, they said. Police sweeping through the area have confined residents and office dwellers to their buildings, with some allowed to leave if they take an immediate, direct route out of the area with police permission. Trams running in the area have been rerouted, with the GVB suggesting trams could be back to normal by 6 p.m. https://twitter.com/JOR_ID/status/481798829654933504https://twitter.com/Politie_Adam/status/481807451751473152